Simonetta Gives His View Of Link Between Military, L.v.

Joe Simonetta, candidate for the Democratic nomination to the 15th Congressional District, said yesterday, "The politics of mistrust must be ended and avenues of negotiation and diplomacy explored."

Speaking at a news conference during the opening of his campaign headquarters at 28 E. 3rd Street, Bethlehem, Simonetta discussed global militarism and its effects on the country and the Lehigh Valley.

He said three main issues mustbe addressed: The United States and the Soviet Union must re-evaluate their relationship; the United States must determine exactly what its foreign policy is; and fraud, waste and greed in the military-industrial complex must be eliminated.

Simonetta said of the United States and its relationship with the Soviet Union: "It is time that we move toward reconciliation by determining what is in our common interests. Certainly this would include not destroying each other militarily, halting the escalation of nuclear weapons and improving our economies."

On the issue of the United States being a "global policeman," he said, "Are we involved in defense or in a foreign policy based upon military force?"

Simonetta said 3 percent of the military budget goes for the defense of the nation's borders and 10 percent goes to deterring unprovoked nuclear attack. He said 80 percent of the military budget is used to support various overseas military commitments.

American taxpayers, he said, are paying $300 billion a year for foreign commitments while the Germans and Japanese "are investing their money into their civilian economies."

He said it costs $130 million annually to run Lehigh and Northampton counties. At the same time, he said, residents of Lehigh County contribute $434 million each year and those in Northampton County contribute $337 million each year to the federal government for military spending.

In less than one day, he said, President Reagan spends the local $781 million contribution made to the military.

Simonetta said the difference between him and incumbent Republican Congressman Don Ritter is their solutions to the problems in society. He said Ritter is known to be "one of the strongest military hawks in the Congress" and one of Reagan's strongest supporters.

Simonetta said it is a fallacy that military sending is good for the economy. He said $1 billion spent on the military results in about 75,000 jobs while the same amount spent on education results in several hundred thousand jobs in fields such as health care and construction.

"The economic and social consequences here in the Lehigh Valley are mounting daily with unemployment approaching 10 percent. High-paying manufacturing jobs are being replaced, if at all, by lower-sector jobs. Our standard of living is falling. Our middle class is diminishing. The gap between our rich and poor is growing. Our elderly's health care is being cut back. We have a growing underclass of women and children living in poverty. Our mayors are fighting to keep federal funds that represent only 1 percent of our national budget and already have been cut back 50 percent," he said.

"It is time our leaders realize that the path on which we are traveling is leading to unprecedented disaster," he said.